Driving Safety

Reducing Motor Vehicle Injuries

The second leading cause of injury that results in hospitalization is attributed to motor vehicles and fourth leading cause of injury deaths in Colorado. As part of our injury prevention program, we partner with community-based organizations and government in diverse and dynamic ways. From presentations in schools to advocating for sensible regulation and legislation, our goal is to reduce injuries and fatalities in our community.

Consider the following:

Drivers under age 25 have the highest death rate and the lowest seat belt usage rate.

Seat belts reduce the likelihood of fatal or serious injuries by 40 to 55 percent.

Sixty percent of teens killed in auto accidents last year were not wearing seat belts.

Seat belt use is the single most effective way to save lives and reduce risk of death in a crash.

Airbags helps saves lives; however, airbags are not designed to replace seat belts. Seat belts and air bags are designed to work together during a crash.

Motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death for children. Securing infants and children in age- and size-appropriate car seats, boosters, and seatbelts significantly reduces their risk of injury or death. For more information about Child Passenger Safety visit CarSeatsColorado.com.

Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death in Colorado for teens ages 15 to 19. By helping teens understand the importance of driving safely and being an adult role model of safe driving habits, we can reduce the number of vehicle related injuries and deaths.

What is Colorado’s Graduated Driver License (GLD) Law?

In 2005, the Colorado General Assembly passed additional components to Colorado's law which restricted the number of passengers that a minor driver can transport, and prohibited any minor driver who has held a license for less than one year from driving between midnight and 5 a.m. Since this law went into effect, the teen motor vehicle death rate dropped from 31.1 deaths per 100,000 teens ages 15-19 in 2004 to 12.7 deaths per 100,000 teens in 2009.

Graduated Driver Licensing is a proven system that helps beginning drivers gain important driving skills gradually, under lower-risk conditions and with minimum distractions. There are three stages to Colorado's GDL system:

Learner Stage: supervised
driving only

Intermediate Stage: unsupervised
driving with restrictions on cell phone usage, number of people in vehicle and
curfew